As soon as the level-up notifications appeared in Rex's sight, His body instantly felt refreshed and invigorated with a new-found strength like he had just drank a gallon of milk. He got up, glancing at the unrecognizable carcass of the Cerberus he just defeated. "Damn!" Rex groaned, clutching his head in pain.
He had been too careless and that almost cost him his life. "Cronus!" Rex yelled out, hissing in pain as he shouted.
" What dost thou require, o harbinger of time" Cronus replied in a tone that sounded far too amused for Rex's liking.
"Stop laughing at my Pain, Shakespeare! And maybe next time, give me a heads-up on how I should deal with those Cerb babies"
Cronus chuckled again. "Thou art most entertaining when near death"
"Well.... I'm standing near death's gates, so what do you expect?" Rex glanced at the Underworld's gates again.
Before arriving here, Cronus told him about an artifact that would grant him access to his main test as a harbinger. THE KEY OF HADES.
With this key, Cronus told him he could have access to all the gates in the underworld. All of this though was just like a VR but Cronus said it was equivalent to the actual underworld gates. But he could only get this key after defeating the real Cerberus.
"By the way" Rex sighed and then opened his status window
XP to next level: 0/12,000
Time control (lv 2) Xp to next level: 10/100
Time rewind (lv 1) X to next level: 10/100
Ability points available: 25
"Well. that was nice, I guess," Rex said after seeing his new stats and the ability points he had to distribute. Now what was left was how he should distribute the ability points he had. "Hmm, Well, let's do it this way"
+ 15 stat points to Strength
His strength was lacking compared to his agility, so he planned to balance the two
+ 5 stat points to intelligence and 5 to Endurance
"Well, that was the only option left, so there was no need to think about it much" His new stats were
XP to next level: 0/12,000
Strength: 36 ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
Time control (lv 2) Xp to next level: 10/100
Time rewind (lv 1) X to next level: 10/100
Rex stretched his arms, feeling the surge of strength flow through his body after distributing his ability points. "Alright, I'm officially less squishy now," he muttered, flexing his arms. "Still not benching any mountains, but at least I'm not just relying on my legs to do all the work anymore."
As he stood before the Underworld gates, he could feel the gravity of his journey weighing on him, but that familiar cocky grin returned to his face. "Cerberus down, Key of Hades next. I'm practically speed-running this 'Harbinger of Time' gig," Rex said to himself, wiping off the bloodstains from his clothes as best he could.
As he pondered his next move, Rex weighed his options. The real Cerberus was still out there, waiting. But he knew better than to push himself when he was already on the edge. "Alright, big guy, we'll tango later. I've had enough dog breath for one day."
Taking a deep breath, Rex willed himself to return home. In an instant, the dark and ominous atmosphere of the Underworld faded away, replaced by the familiar sight of his bedroom. The soft moonlight filtered through his window, casting a gentle glow across his bed. It was still night.
He stood there for a moment, taking in the peacefulness of his room, his mind still racing from the adrenaline of battle. "Man, what a day," Rex muttered, stretching his arms before collapsing onto the bed. The exhaustion hit him all at once, and the comfort of his mattress felt like heaven after the chaos he had just endured.
"Goodnight, Shakespeare," Rex mumbled, already feeling sleep pulling him under.
Cronus's amused voice echoed in his mind one last time before silence enveloped the room. "Rest well, Harbinger. Thy trials art only beginning."
Rex groaned and pulled the covers over his head. "Of course they are." And just like that, he drifted into a deep, well-deserved sleep.
As Rex drifted off into dreamland, his mind plunged straight into another battle but this time, a dream where he stood alone on a colossal battlefield, facing an army of mythological beings. Mythological monsters filled the horizon
"Great," Rex muttered, gripping his sword. "A solo mission against the cast of every nightmare ever. Just what I needed."
First up was Typhon, the giant storm monster, towering over him with serpentine heads hissing from his shoulders. "So, we doing this now?" Rex asked, completely unphased by the monster's size.
Typhon roared in response, and Rex sighed. "Cool. Let's get it over with."
With a swing of his sword, Rex sliced through the air. But before he could land a hit, Zeus appeared out of nowhere, throwing a lightning bolt right at Typhon. "What?!" Rex blinked in disbelief.
Zeus turned to Rex with a smirk. "You're welcome, mortal. Don't say I never helped."
Rex threw his hands up in frustration. "I was about to land a cool one-liner and everything! What is it with you gods stealing my thunder, literally!"
Before he could argue more, Poseidon rose from the ground, riding a massive wave. "I have arrived!" he bellowed. With a flick of his trident, he drowned a pack of hydras that had surrounded Rex.
"Great!" Rex shouted, "Now the ocean guy is here. What next, Hades popping up for a casual barbecue?"
As if on cue, Hades emerged from the shadows, casually sipping from a goblet. "Just here for the show, kid."
Rex rubbed his temples. "This is my dream. Why are you all hijacking my fight scenes? It's supposed to be epic, just me, all alone, like an action hero!"
Cronus' voice chimed in from nowhere. "Dost thou truly believe thou couldst defeat all these beings alone? Thou art delusional, but is most entertaining."
Rex glared at the sky. "Shut it, Shakespeare! I'm trying to have an epic solo battle here, and all these divine party crashers won't let me!"
Before he could finish, Hercules appeared, slapping Rex on the back. "Don't worry, buddy! I've got your back too."
Rex groaned, exasperated. "Of course you do! Why not invite the entire Pantheon while you're at it?"
Hercules laughed heartily. "Already did. Look!"
Rex turned around to see the entire Olympian family standing behind him, waving and grinning like they were on a group vacation. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Rex threw down his sword in defeat. "This was supposed to be my moment! One versus all!"
Zeus clapped a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Cheer up, mortal. You still get to fight, just...with a little help from the gods."
Rex stared blankly at the sky, shaking his head. "I need better dreams. This is turning into a mythological family reunion!"
Just as he started to speak again, the alarm clock in his bedroom blared. Rex jolted awake, flailing in the sheets. "Great. Even in my dreams, I can't catch a break," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
From the corner of his mind, Cronus's voice echoed one last time, a little too smug for Rex's taste. "Perhaps next time, mortal."
"Yeah, yeah," Rex sighed, rolling out of bed. "Next time, it's gonna be just me versus the world. No gods allowed."
A/N: Please drop a comment if you've loved what you've been reading so far and if you're feeling extra heroic, please leave a review so Rex can know if he'll do better or just keep going at his current pace